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Avid outdoors enthusiasts, a couple was looking to build a modest year-round retreat in Washington’s Cascade Mountains in order to make the most of the region’s vast network of hiking and cross-country skiing trails. But extreme weather conditions posed a challenge. Located in the Methow Valley near Winthrop, Washington, the area can reach thirty degrees below zero and experience three to four feet of snow in winter, and up to 110 degrees and dry conditions in summer. Balance Associates worked to create an 850-square-foot cabin with commanding views that's well-adapted to the region.

Nestled in a subalpine meadow valley in Washington, the Ranchero House is surrounded by a beautiful but demanding landscape. A Seattle family had frequented the area for years, making the three hour drive into the Okanogan National Forest for cross-country skiing and hiking. They asked Tim Hammer of CAST architecture, also based in Seattle, to design a structure that could survive forest fires, five feet of snow pack, house guests (and their ski gear), all while requiring minimum maintenance and energy usage. The result is a hardy weekend retreat that’s fine-tuned to its residents and its surroundings.

Eero Saarinen's fiberglass-and-aluminum Tulip table and chairs, designed in 1950s for Knoll, were among the futuristic furnishings found in the 1960s classic Star Trek series. Today, the industrial design classic—with its furturistic use of ellipses—slips seamlessly into modern interiors.